The Closer (2021 film)

The Closer
Promotional poster for the special
Directed byStan Lathan
Written byDave Chappelle
Produced bySina Sadighi
StarringDave Chappelle
Edited byJeff U'ren
Production
company
Netflix Worldwide Entertainment
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • October 5, 2021 (2021-10-05)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States

The Closer is a 2021 American stand-up comedy special written and performed by Dave Chappelle for Netflix. It was directed by Stan Lathan and recorded over the course of seven sold-out performances at The Fillmore Detroit, which ran from August 10 to 15, 2021.[1] The Closer is Chappelle's sixth and final special under his 2016 deal with Netflix, with the other five being Deep in the Heart of Texas, The Age of Spin, Equanimity, The Bird Revelation and Sticks & Stones.

The special contains segments that joke about the discrimination against the African-American community relative to the discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The special received a mixed reception from critics while some LGBTQ groups called for the special's removal from the service and some Netflix employees criticized and protested Chappelle's jokes about the transgender community.[2][3] Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos repeatedly defended the special as freedom of artistic expression.[4]

The special received various award nominations including for two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Variety Special and Directing for a Variety Special.[5][6]

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  4. ^ Donnelly, Matt (October 20, 2021). "'I Screwed Up': Netflix's Ted Sarandos Addresses Dave Chappelle Fallout". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference emmys was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference White was invoked but never defined (see the help page).